MUTINY ON THE MEERMIN Historical Melodrama Four part Television Series 4 x 52 minutes Tag Line Truces and Betrayal Log Line Offending his ruler led finally to incarceration and death leaving wife and child as slaves behind Audience Age 14 - ∞ Director Johann Abrahams Synopsis: It is the year 1766. A Madagascan farmer, Massavana, comes into conflict with his king after criticising the practice of selling their own people into slavery. He is hunted down and together with his pregnant wife Arianti, sold to a Dutch East India slave master, Johann Krause. With hundreds of other slaves he was shipped off to the tip of Africa. While at sea Krause ordered the slaves to clean Malagasy spears he picked up as souvenirs from Madagascar. Realising the opportunity Massavana and his fellow men started a violent revolt against the sailors leaving Muller injured and Krause dead. Massavana, taken over the ship, ordered the Dutch crew to sail them back home to freedom, however, the crew deceived the slaves and steered the boat towards Cape Town. Reaching land a bloody battle with militia on shore left the surviving slaves captives again and the Meermin a sinking wreck. A Cape court tried Massavana and he escaped death when he was sentenced at the mercy of the court to be imprisoned on Robben Island. Arianti gave birth during the trial and she together with other survivors were sold as slaves in Cape Town. The ship’s captain, Gerrit Muller, was stripped of his captain duties and sent back to Amsterdam. Today descendants of Massavana are still searching for the wreck of the Meermin. Print Top